1,000 Strong, And Growing – A Wild Fermentation Giveaway!

You know that jingle for kid’s vitamins: We are Flintstones kids – ten million strong, and growing…. Please tell me you remember that ad or I’m going to feel really, really old. Anyway, that tune has been running through my head about the Northwest Edible Life Facebook page, except instead of ten million, it’s a thousand strong (1,022 at last count).

I gotta say, I’m pretty excited about hitting a thousand Facebook fans (“Likers”?). And when I’m excited, I buy books. For you.

This is pickle making time, people. It’s time for sauerkraut and kimchi and sourdough and all kinds of other stuff that gets pretty tasty thanks to Lactobacillus and countless other of her fellow friends, the beneficial bacteria. It’s Beer-Thirty and a Quarter Past Wine, and those need little beastie helpers, too. Wild Fermentation goes into all these things and more, and teaches you how to safely and confidently perserve and enhance the flavor of your foods through fermentation.

I love this book. I follow Sandor’s recipes for a basic lacto-fermentation brine and have never lost a batch of pickles or beans or turnips. And it’s such and easy preservation technique…way simpler than canning!

Even if the closest you’re getting to Lactobacillus is GoGurt, it’s still a compelling read because of Sandor’s enthusiasm for the topic and personal story. (He’s gay, HIV-positive, living in a commune in Tennessee and healing himself with pickles. C’mon, admit it, you’d totally Netflix that if it were a movie.)

Want to win? Here’s how to enter:

Step 1 – “Like” the Facebook page and leave a comment here on the blog letting me know you’ve done so. If you already Like NWEdible, just tell me that. If you have a conscientious objection to Facebook, let me know what it is and we’ll call that good enough. I’m self-sponsoring this one, so the rules are pretty relaxed.

Step 2 – In the same comment, tell me what your experience is with preserving through fermentation and why you want this book. You don’t have to write a thesis – I’m not going to judge your responses or anything, I’m just curious and hoping you’ll share.

So, one comment and you’re entered. The winner will be drawn randomly and announced next Tuesday, August 30th. In the meantime, I recommend Sandor’s extensive and useful website for more information on wild ferments.

My sincere and tremendous thanks to all 1,022 of you who’ve been willing to join me on this gardener-foodie-urban-homesteader-mom-life ride. It’s pretty amazing to be a thousand strong, and – hey, look! – we’re all growing. Thank you.

Comments

I got all excited last year upon finding pickle crocks at the local feed store (Wilco), and bought two of them. I figured I could probably have scouted for antiques, but with new ones I knew they'd be lead-free glaze, so…yeah.

I made a big batch of sauerkraut in one of the crocks, and the other has been unused, because I started my fermented dill pickles slightly before that in a food-safe plastic container.

The pickles came out well…I grew the cukes and the dill myself, and they fermented nicely. The brine is crystal clear once all the yeastiebeasties settle out (on the shelf). The sauerkraut, while moderately successful, wasn't nearly sour enough. I'm trying again here shortly. Tis the season and all. I need a big batch for the holidays, since I cook with it!

I kept some water kefir for some time, but I never got over the kind of sulfur smell. I'm really overly sensitive to sulfur, so it wasn't my thing. Right now I'm working on perfecting the ginger beer. THAT'S fun. And alcoholic. I need to figure out how to test the alcohol level, actually. ;-)

And yes, now I have that vitamin jingle in my head. Oy. (And sadly, my daughter just thinks of the Flintstones as the Vitamin People. Sigh.)

I have been looking to buy this book for a while something else keeps getting prioritized first. We have been making kefir, cheese, and yogurt for the last year. Most recently a batch of kimchi (following Nourishing Traditions method). I made from kraut using Sandor Katz's recipe as well – which turned out great! Kumbocha is definitely and acquired taste…that escapes me. I really wanted to like it but…

I am really excited to add a bigger line-up of fermented foods to our diet. We have also been long time makers of beer and wine :) This fall will be our first venture into making hard cider using the cider press and apple scratter the hubs and son built!

I enjoy a good fermented food. Long before I had ever fermented anything I took a class in college on fermented foods. It was primarily focused on wine (San Luis Obispo is wine country after all) but we also went over breads, pickles, beer and other goodies.

I soon started making my own beer even though I don't drink it (go figure). I also like making hard cider, which I currently have in my kegerator. I'm famous for my hard cherry cider. Yum! Of course I also bake breads though I killed my sourdough starter. And I lactoferment cucumbers into my husband's and stepson's favorite pickles.

1022 Likes! Well aren't we the bacteria in your fermentation! Add me to the contest! You know I like you and I'm a sucker for book giveaways. (Though I'm still in review debt to Harriet and Calamity Jane for the Preserving with Friends DVD).

Fermentation experiences: yogurt – pretty successfully, not regularly yet. Also, I tried making kombucha during my second pregnancy. I have to say… it ws gross. Not because I did a bad job, just because I think kombucha is kinda – gross. But I got a nice glass gallon size jar out of that deal, so that's a plus.

Want to try those pickles you recommended and I REALLY want my own kraut!

I "liked" sometime ago and would love a chance to win a copy of Wild Fermentation. My experience with fermentation/preservation so far is making Sauerkraut and trying my hand at making some Elder Flower Champagne with my friend once. I'm a mushroom guy and a definite fan of fermentation in all its wonderful forms. Thanks for the opportunity…:-)

I already like your page as of last week. I need to pickle for several reasons. I need the good bacteria re-established in digestive system which has been at war most of my life. I also have a over-abundant garden and I can't stand waste. Last week I also dug deep into my pockets and bought 5 pickling crocks with airlocks, and now I don't have money to spare on this book which I need! I used the WF site tonight for a recipe on sour pickles that I made in half gallon mason jars (the pickling crocks aren't here yet). Can you see the pic? https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10150279074286094&set=a.10150190422706094.312807.570426093&type=1&theater

Don't need the book because I already bought it! But want to encourage others to pick it up and try some of the recipes. I made some sauerkraut with a red cabbage from the garden and love it! I've got some sour pickles going right now…

Dear Erica, I discovered you this morning, coffee in hand, while researching replacing my lawn with vegetables. Of course I "liked" you on FB which I might have done anyway (despite my ever increasing paranoia about FB & privacy)mostly because I am hoping to win the book. I love my thin, tangy, lactose-free, homemade yogurt. I've spent many, but not yet enough hours making dill pickles and bread & butter pickles with my 50-something year old neighbor guy who seems to be the only one I know with similar interests. Suburban Cleveland seems so much less fun than the Pacific NW. Thanks for all the great stories. I'm now a dedicated fan. Wishing you all the best!

Of course I follow you on facebook :)I have yet to try lacto fermenting, but I've got 3 dozen jars of pickles that I did last weekend. I'm planning on fermenting some cabbage and want to try some pickles too. thanks for the opportunity your awesome!

I like you! and have been making sauerkraut for a couple of years now, but didn't know I was lacto fermenting. I had canned it at the end of the fermentation, so I guess I was missing all the good stuff! This year I'll try keeping it in the fridge. Also for the first time this year, I'm trying pickles and some spicy turnips in crocks.. would love to have the book to help with more recipes/information.

I've been following the blog for months but finally liked the FB page.

I love pickled foods, and my boyfriend of 9 years, once not much of a pickled food eater, is gaining a greater appreciation for them. He's also not much of a cook but he does enjoy science experiment style kitchen projects, and I think fermentation and pickling would be a great way to get him more involved in food prep at home. If all goes well he might even gain an interest in gardening to supply us with raw materials for his food projects. One can dream!

Thanks for offering a giveaway! And I had no idea you had a FB page – so now I definitely like it. I have a constantly-being-topped-off kefir jar in the fridge, and right now have barleywine, a partigyle ESB, elderberry wine, 2 strong Belgians (a tripel and a dark), Cascadian black ale, dandelion wine, rhubarb wine, and spruce-tip rye bubbling in the basement. As I type this all out I feel like a bit of a lush…. but that's not going to stop me from brewing up a batch of oatmeal stout with raspberries tonite! Also taking my first venture into lacto-pickles today I hope, fully inspired by your post. The natural foods store where I used to work sold them, for like $8 a jar, so I assumed they were Very Complicated and Fancy, but clearly not. So excited. Thanks for all your posts – NW Edible is the first blog I check every day.

I'm a big fan and love reading your FB posts! I've been experimenting with fermenting for a few years…..hard cider, yogurt, kombucha. Tried pickles for the 1st time this summer in a 5-gallon bucket. Being the lazy person that I am, I forgot about them and now I'm scared to eat them!! Maybe I'll give them to the kids first (I jest)!

I've been experimenting with fermenting for about a year. Did some mason jar sauerkraut last year, then registered for a Harsch crock when we got married this year, and made some more kraut. Most of those have worked, though one batch of kraut REALLY didn't. My husband & I brewed beer about two months ago, and our first batch turned out surprisingly palatable! I'm also making my first batch of fermented dill cucumber pickles right now, inspired by a post of yours. I tried doing kombucha, but it turns out I'm far more interested in making it than eating it, and it eventually got bugs.

So, I couldn't comment on your blog for some reason…. some sort of glitch in the World Wide Web, I assume. Anyway, I love your blog and am excited about the book! I'm fermenting cabbage with juniper and caraway seeds, doing a batch of hot Italian pepper and cucubmbers (both thinly sliced) and a crock of Russian pickles (with a slice of rye bread to encourage yeast). Fun stuff!

Back to our roots with fermentation! As we transition to post-peak-oil, home fermentation is going to be key to nutritional, locally-based food security systems. I make pickles from cukes and daikon and cabbage and garlic. I make amazake every week or two during the winter, and that is the staff of life for health in a cold climate. There is so much for our "culture" to relearn in these changing times!

i "like" your page and i love fermenting! i've been wanting this book for a while now. i've tried lacto-fermented mayo and i make kimchee with just about anything. i have a batch of pac choy kimchee on my counter right now.

I liked the page a while ago. I have made pickles, kim chi, sour kraut. I also make meads, wine, and other fermented beverages. I would love to read that book for sure so even if I don't win it I will end up buying. It is still fun to win though.

i just found you… so glad i did… i liked your facebook page, and commented on your chicken line.. lol… i'm just getting started into this adventure of real traditional foods, i'm still almost drowning in the sea of information, but i'll start floating along soon… i JUST started my first batch of lacto fermented saurkraut yesterday… i have this book on my amazon wishlist… winning a copy would be AWSOME!! thanks for doing the giveaway!!

I was introduced to Sandor at the Culinary when he gave a lecture. I have been doing living food for a decade now. As a family we used living foods to battle the side effects of chemotherapy. Would love this book to enhance knowledge.

Just "liked" you on fb – although I've enjoyed your blog in the past. My friend brought over her HUGE ceramic pickling crock earlier this year and a crate of red cabbage and we made some amazing sauerkraut! I just had some yesterday. Now that I am pregnant I find myself craving the sour, pickled taste – and happy about the probiotic perks of fermentation… would love to have the book to take me to the next level!

We've more than "liked" your page for quite a while and read what's going on with pleasure and an occasional "I'm glad someone else is doing this-we're not alone."Thanks for the fun and information. We have the sourdough under control, the kombucha is getting there, pickles were brined and I want to try fermented catsup. Happy Autumn Harvest!

I have come across you in Facebook and have 'liked' your page. No one deserves this book more than me. I grow, can, cook, bake, pickle and preserve however I continue to fail at making saurkraut and I am half German! Save me oh wise one!Look forward to your blogs!

I just became a fan!! Look forward to learning more about what's going on up there. I love Edibles! I have only successfully made sauerkraut and kimchi, both to great results. I attempted pickles, but got scared of the scum and dumped them…I know, I know…but I am a germ freak and that was early on in my preserving life. It would be great to get this book and have a support system for the rest of my learning journey

I already have you on my FB list. :) After all your a neighbor of sorts. But I have never done this type of preserving and I believe its high time I learned. So this book would be a great addition to my preserving library. The closest Ive ever gotten to doing anything like this was at work, making my own creme fraiche (Im a former chef too.) Theres just the two of us here in this house tho but I still try to save money where I can and go as organic as Im able.

I just "liked" your page on FB from a link from Farm Curious. I'm looking forward to reading more of your posts.

I've always loved to garden, but never really canned or fermented anything – but this year I'm changing that! My husband loves sauerkraut and we would love to try making some this year and would love to have Sandy's book to help us along the way.

I just started experimenting with lacto-fermentation. I've made some pretty tasty garlic dill pickles and moving on to my next batch to tweak the flavor. I am also going to try sauerkraut this year. I would love this book to add to my collection. I love fermenting, its so easy but has a nice ritual like routine to it. I liked your fb page through punk domestics

First, I love fermented food but my "making" abilities are currently limited to sauerkraut. Second, my partner-in-crime, Terri, has recently been diagnosed with mondo amounts of food allergies (and she's a foodie… yes, this is hell), including dairy, and we've recently discovered that she could REALLY use more fermented non-dairy foods in her diet for digestive reasons, et al. I MUST LEARN MORE FERMENTING TECHNIQUES! STAT!

We're already facebook fans of this your most spectacular blog, even though we reside in the Southwest and not the North (or the Midwest, depending on who's claiming Oklahoma that day, but South usually wins out). You do good work here. Please do keep it up. :)

Hey Erica! I've like your FB page for a while now (cause I love your blog!).

Never fermented anything, but I've been dying to try it! My family loves pickles, and I love kimich but I need instruction…I've been doing the urban homestead thing for less than a year now, so I haven't dipped my toes in the fermenting waters yet…this book is on my wish list @ Amazon so winning it would be awesome!!! Thanks for the opportunity and for all the work you do on your blog!

Just found the page from Punk Domestics. Having moved to the 'country' within the last year, this city girl has found herself with a surprising passion for all things canning, pickling, and fermenting:) From jams and jellies, anything pickled, to brews, it's all good.

Ok, I just "liked" you, now I need to read your blog :) My experience? I do cheese. I did my first fermented pickles and sauerkraut last year, the kraut was awesome, the pickles were not, and this year we are doing beer. I love me some fermenty stuff. I want the book because I checked it out once from the library and I want to be able to reread it any time I want. And inflict it upon my friends.

Wow, over 1,000 Likes?! Dang Girl! I only have 3, and one of them is me! I joined the other "likers" and I have to be honest, I have never fermented anything, but I sure would love to try! What a great giveaway! Thanks for entering mine as well!

I've 'liked' your page for a good long while now… and this book is for me. I brew beer and mead… and am also getting into other ferments for healthy eating and winter storage. My family is trying to gather, grow, hunt and forage as much of our food as possible on our urban farm.. check out my page if you get a chance @ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Radicle-Routes-Permaculture/229865793695428 and see what we are up to!!Cheers to you and other people on the same wavelength as us!! Blessings and good harvest to you all!!Joshua

I don't have any experience so far with lacto-fermentation. I drink only raw milk and yesterday while at the store I saw a bag of organic dried whey. I stopped briefly and thought, "Hmmm, I think I remember seeing some things that use whey." So I came home and today I saw a recipe using raw milk, extracting the whey and using it to lacto-ferment fresh salsa. And with the left over sour milk, you can get sour cream and cream cheese. Awesome. I am totally wanting to try this. PS: I'm on FB as Karla Holm Baker. :o)

Well, my chances of winning are slim to none seeing all these comments. I don't "go out there" with FB, so here it is. My chance.I will probably buy the book, as I would love to learn how to use this process. Closest I come is making wine.

I read your great blog regularly! A friend of mine has the book, and I've borrowed it to make dandylion beer, and now have made several more batches of beer with different ingredients, I make goats milk yogurt weekly, I have an ongoing batch of kombucha, but there is so much more I need to learn, I definitely need a copy of my own, so if I don't win, I'll just have to buy a copy! thanks and keep up the great work!

FB makes me a little crazy, but I had to give in and go with it… to keep up with my brother… who is a photographer… and posts family and vacation pictures there. So I putz along with it, and have actually appreciated it lately due to getting updates on our adopted baby brother who is back in the states recovering from gunshot injuries while in Afghanistan. So FB can even be a blessing.

I'm 57 and have made three batches of crockpot yogurt recently. That's it. Late bloomer. But, I have the stuff to make my first sauerkraut and will get it going this week. I'm just learning from blogs, which seems better than most cookbooks I own. Bloggers include lots of pictures and lots of notes that cover all the little problems one runs into. Pretty cool, huh?

Have been enjoying your blog for several months now. Confession: last year was the first time I ever visited a blog. Again, late bloomer.

I follow via facebook and GFC :) I have never tried to pickle or ferment anything before, but I have begun a radical lifestyle change (in many things but mainly diet), that includes going gluten-/soy-/corn-/sugar-free, and incorporating things like probiotics, fermented foods, herbs, and home grown foods into my diet. I want and NEED to eliminate preservatives and various other unnatural substances from my diet; a book about fermenting your own foods would be invaluable! :)

I just followed you on Facebook – I thought I already had, but apparently not. Whoops.

I started fermenting this year – cucumbers and kraut were the first ones, but I have beets, radishes, and carrots on the go now. The pickles wound up a little funny, but I'm looking forward to giving it another try.

Hi, I just liked you on FB. I have no fermentation skills, but would love to learn more and give it a try.Hi, I just liked you on FB. I have no fermentation skills, but would love to learn more and give it a try.

I already follow you on FB. I've made a fermented soda and I make my own yogurt. I want the book because it's my dream to live off grid, and food preservation skills are a must in that kind of a setting.

this book is on my Top Five Books To Buy As Soon As Possible list. i've picked up various bits of info on fermenting around the web, and have done a few little experiments already. some even turning out successful! i've currently got a mix of hot and sweet peppers going on my counter and they seem to be doing well so far.

I've been following along on facebook for awhile. I really NEED this book, I don't know why I've never gotten around to getting it (would you believe our local library didn't have it AND had never heard of lacto-fermentation… sheesh!). I've heard that it explains some of the why behind lacto fermentation so I think that's cool, I'm not much of recipe follower. I've done some cool things in the past that turned out great (apple butter, mango-ginger chutney, kimchi and always ferment our ketchup and mayo) but I've had some pretty epic fails too (most recently slimy, brown sauerkraut and pickled eggs which I figured was probably because the vinegar killed the bacteria). Anyhow, you said to NOT right a thesis, sorry about that. I'd love to pick up the book through you so that I'd have it for this harvest season. Thanks for doing the giveaway, its awesome to see that its caught some attention.

oops, I don't read instructions very well. The SECOND part is my experience with preserving food. Absolutely none. I'm very new to all of this, just coming into my first (southern hemisphere) spring in my first vegie garden.(You put a SEED in the GROUND and it does WHAT!? I'm still at that stage.) Building a library of self-sufficiency so that I know, at least in theaory, how do do everything! :)

Already a follower :) Very interested in fermenting foods. I've had this book on my Amazon wish list since early summer. Once my garden started producing I was going to buy it. Well, the Texas drought has really done a number on the garden, only 3 cucumbers worthy of pickling :( There is always the farmers market though and I'd love to learn how to make my own live culture foods!!

I don't do FB, sorry. I keep up with my good friends from earlier years in other ways. Too many stories from friends who 'like' something only to find out that opened them up to being seen by others who liked it, too, etc. Plus, I don't need another reason to waste time on the computer! lol.

I've made sauerkraut and pickles by fermentation. The sauerkraut came out great. The pickles were what we'd call full sours, they were TART. lol. Still yummy, though.

None of the libraries in our county system carry this book, either. I've asked for it to be considered for purchase, but so far, no go.

Hey Katy – I've pared you down to one comment just to keep the entries fair. :)Rachel Z. – I've got you written down as anon @ 10:34 so I know it's you, but I'm going to delete your second entry so you're not double entered. Thanks!

I am just starting to learn about fermentation. I attended a presentation on preserving food at my library tonight and she raved about this book. I get home and what do you know? You are giving it away! Thanks for the chance to win this intriguing book!

I've "liked" you on FB for a bit now and I'm happy I do. You have some great posts that are super informative and helpful.I have zero experience with wild fermentation other than knowing a few people that do it and having tried soda that was made bubbly with wild fermentation. I heard a story on NPR I think about the differences between bubbles from wild fermented sodas and carbonated ones and it said that the WF ones had "soft" bubbles. I love the idea of soft bubbles! And want to make them myself.

I already "like" you :) I'm just getting in to fermentation, and learning more about it. I have one batch of yogurt under my belt that was pretty successful, but I'd like to try more, especially pickles and kombucha tea! Would love to have this great guide to help me!